Life and career

Originally from Harlem, Walker began DJ'ing under the name Kool DJ Kurt. In 1979, aged twenty, Kurtis Blow became the first rapper to be signed by a major label, Mercury, which released "Christmas Rappin'". It sold over 500,000 copies. Its follow-up, "The Breaks", also sold over half a million copies. He was also the first rapper to perform overseas. He released ten albums over the next eleven years. His first album was Kurtis Blow, while his second was the Top 50 pop album Deuce. Party Time featured a fusion of rap and go-go. Ego Trip included the hits: "8 Million Stories", "AJ Scratch", and "Basketball". His 1985 album, America, garnered praise for its title track's music video. From this album, the song "If I Ruled the World" became a Top 5 hit on Billboard's R&B chart. Besides his own work, Kurtis has been responsible for hits by The Fat Boys and Run DMC. Run began his career billed as 'The Son of Kurtis Blow'. Lovebug Starski, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Full Force, Russell Simmons and Wyclef Jean all have been produced by, or collaborated with, Walker. Former label mates René & Angela had their R&B chart topping debut "Save Your Love (For #1)" was produced by him. Along with Dexter Scott King, Walker co-ordinated "King Holiday", a song to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday, released in January 1986.

His acting performances and music coordination in several films includes Leon Kennedy’s Knights of the City and the hip hop film Krush Groove. As host and co-producer for Das Leben Amerikanischer Gangs, an international film production's focus on the West Coast gang scene, Kurt crossed international waters for inner city justice (1995). As host and associate producer for Rhyme and Reason Kurtis gave an informative account of the status of hip hop, while he participated in the three volume release The History Of Rap in 1998.

Kurt has spoken out emphatically against racism. He was an active participant in the Artists Against Apartheid record “Sun City”. Kurt has worked with Rev. Jesse Jackson's Operation Push and National Rainbow Coalition in Chicago. Kurt has also worked with Rev. Al Sharpton's Action Network in New York City. In 1995, he started working on-air in radio, Power 106, the #1 CHR radio station in Southern California. He hosted 'The Old School Show' on Sunday nights, featuring hits from the past. He also worked for Sirius Satellite Radio on the Classic Old School Hip Hop station Backspin on Channel 46.

Beginning in 1996, Kurt was featured in a hip hop display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That same year, rapper Nas scored triple platinum with his version of "If I Rule The World". In 1998, the group Next released "Too Close", in which the music of "Christmas Rappin'" was sampled. ASCAP honored Kurt and Next at a gala affair on May 26, 1999. In 2002, he traveled to the Middle East to tour the Armed Forces bases performing seventeen shows for the troops. He was a judge for the 8th annual Independent Music Awards. In December 2014, Kurt was the Guest MC for the world premiere of "The Hip Hop Nutcracker" at New Jersey Performing Arts Center, a well received update of Tchaikovsky's holiday classic. A national tour of the show launched in November 2015 with 25 shows and Kurtis reprised his role as MC and host opening and closing the show.

Minister

As the founder of The Hip Hop Church, Kurtis serves as rapper, DJ, worship leader and licensed minister. He became an ordained minister on August 16, 2009. http://www.hiphopchurchglobal.com/

References in popular culture

• The They Might Be Giants song "Where Your Eyes Don't Go" on their second album, Lincoln, featured the lines "You're free to come and go / Or talk like Kurtis Blow."
• The Ice Cube song "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha" featured the line "I'll Kurtis Blow yo ass away like AJ".
• The R.A. the Rugged Man song "L.I.'s Finest" featured the line "These are the breaks like Kurtis." and his song "On the Block (Golden Era)" features the line "At the roller rink no skates on, early '80s girl chasing, Kurtis Blow 'These are the Breaks' on."
• The Tom Tom Club song "Genius of Love" featured the lines "Steppin' to the rhythms of Kurtis Blow."
• The song "Christmas Rappin'" was featured during a Christmas episode of the TV sitcom Martin.
• Bruce Haack's 1982 single "Party Machine" featured the lyric "Low low low like Kurtis Blow / Down down down like James Brown."
• The song "Music Matters" by Faithless mentioned Kurtis Blow: "From Bamma Lamma to Tamla Mo, Curtis Mayfield to Kurtis Blow".
• Blow is mentioned in the film Notorious. When The Notorious B.I.G. was a child, he is shown to be a fan of Blow. As an adult, The Notorious B.I.G. sings Blow's "The Breaks" with his young daughter listening and learning it.
• The 2Pac song "Old School" featured the line "Remember poppin' and lockin' to Kurtis Blow, the name belts".
• In the fourth chapter of Chronicles: Volume One, Bob Dylan says he knew Blow, and that it was Blow who introduced Dylan to the rap genre of the time (mentioning contemporary artists like Ice-T, N.W.A and Public Enemy). Dylan also appears on the first track "Street Rock" of Blow's 1986 album Kingdom Blow.
• A brief reference to "8 Million Stories" was made in the 2009 hit "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z.
• In 50 Cent's film debut Get Rich Or Die Tryin', there is a party scene in Marcus's house where two girls are holding a Kurtis Blow album and are singing lyrics from "The Breaks".
• In Chris Rock's Hip-Hop mockumentary "CB4", MC Gusto (played by Chris Rock) says he's going to send a search party and find Kurtis Blow.
• In the video game NBA 2K12, "Basketball" is used in the opening video and is also part of the game's soundtrack.
• A poster of Kurtis Blow can be seen in the episode "Everybody Hates Houseguests" of Everybody Hates Chris.
• "The Breaks" is a featured song on the game Dance Central 2 for the Xbox Kinect.
• "The Breaks" is also a featured song on the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, on the radio station Wildstyle Pirate Radio.
• In Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake's duet "History of Rap", they sample the opening line to "The Breaks."
• On February 27, 2014, Jimmy Fallon and LeBron James performed a parody of the Basketball music video called Wastepaper Basketball.

Discography

Albums

• Kurtis Blow (1980, Mercury)
• Deuce (1981, Mercury)
• Tough (1982, Mercury)
• The Best Rapper on the Scene (1983, Mercury)
• Ego Trip (1984, Mercury)
• America (1985, Mercury)
• Kingdom Blow (1986, Mercury)
• Back by Popular Demand (1988, Mercury)

Other albums

• Kurtis Blow Presents: Hip Hop Ministry (2007, EMI Gospel)
• Just Do It (2008, Krush Groove/Trinity/B4 Ent.)
• Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (2009, Krush Groove/Trinity/B4 Ent.)
• 30th Anniversary of The Breaks CD (2010, Krush Records)
• " Hip Hop Church Volume 1 (2012 Krush Gospel Records)
• " Hip Hop Church Volume 2 (2013 Krush Gospel Records)
• " Hip Hop Church Volume 3 (2015 Krush Gospel Records)

Compilation albums

• The Breaks (1986, Polygram)
• The Best of Kurtis Blow (1994, Mercury)
• Best of... Rappin' (2002, Spectrum Music)
• 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Kurtis Blow (2003, Mercury)

Singles and EPs

• "Christmas Rappin'" (1979, Mercury MDS-4009)
• "The Breaks" (1980, Mercury MDS 4010)
• "Tough EP" (1982, Mercury)
• "Party Time?" (1983, Mercury)
• "Nervous" (1983, Mercury)
• "Ego Trip" (1984, Mercury)
• "Basketball" (1984, Mercury)
• "The Bronx" (1986, Mercury)
• "Back by Popular Demand" (1988, Mercury)
• "Chillin' at the Spot" (1994, Public Attack)
• "Just Do It" Kurtis Blow & The Trinity
• "Father Son & Holy Ghost" Kurtis Blow & The Trinity
• "Hip Hop Church" Vol 1 (Krush Gospel 2010)
• "Hip Hop Church" Vol 2 (Krush Gospel 2013)
• 'Hip Hop Church" Vol 3 (Krush Gospel 2015)

[ Source: Wikipedia ]